THE INVENTORS

KAJS

A

&

NISSE STRINNING

THEDESIGNCOUPLEBEHINDSTRING

®

–ASHELF

THAT CAN BE ENDLESSLY REINVENTED

Nisse Strinning was an architect and an inventor.

He had an eye for spotting people’s needs and the

imagination to find solutions to their problems. The

hassles of everyday life that went unnoticed by other

designers were captivating challenges for Nisse.

He was also impatient. Few of his projects would

have been realised without his partner and wife Kajsa.

She ensured the ideas were deeply explored, refined

and documented in construction drawings. Her role

was by no means less important than her husband’s.

Through their career the Strinnings designed things

that made life easier, less messy and more practical,

including plate racks, wire trays, and trash bag holders.

Their belief that form should always follow function

explains why many of their creations are considered

iconic today.

In 1949 the Bonnier publishing company and

their popular Bonnier Folk Library series announced

a competition to design a bookshelf, the embryo

of String

®

was already beginning to form in Nisse

Strinning’s mind. The competition rules stated that the

new bookshelf should be affordable and easy to ship

and assemble. Clearly the publishing company wanted

something that would be suitable in most Swedish homes.

The competition provided a creative incentive

for Kajsa and Nisse. Before entering the contest,

they fine-tuned their shelf to meet not only the jury’s

standards, but also their own, which were even tougher.

The String

®

shelf won, and became an instant

success. In parallel, the Strinnings continued to develop

the idea, and soon String

®

was a complete system with

an array of functional elements and accessories.

More than 70 years later, String

®

remains one of

Sweden’s biggest selling and most loved designs, as

well as being internationally acclaimed.

Following a period when String

®

was out of production,

the Strinnings sold the manufacturing rights to newly

started String Furniture. String

®

System was put in

production again, and its development continued.

Today the system consists of more pieces than ever.

It can be configured to suit living rooms, kitchens or

bathrooms, and is just as much at home in a student

flat as a mansion.

Colours and materials are based on a palette, updated

yearly with new options, further increasing the number

of configurations. We’ve recently added the possibility

of using your String

®

System outdoors, all year round.

9.

KAJSA OCH NISSE STRINNING 9

STRING

®

ISBASEDONONLYTHREEFUNDAMENTAL

PARTS. THE WALL PANEL, THE SHELF AND THE

METAL FITTING. INGENIOUS SIMPLICITY, BORN

IN 1949.